Federal government APPROVES TimeToElectrify Inc. to provide the 25% rebate on charging stations in Ontario…and then REFUSES, AGAIN !

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It has come to our attention that the store location for Time to Electrify Inc. is not an eligible brick and mortar location as it is a home. –

Katherine Dillistone

Programs Directorate / Direction des programmes
PCF Implementation Office / Bureau de mise en œuvre du CPC
Environment and Climate Change Canada / Environnement et changement climatique Canada
katherine.dillistone@canada.ca

TimeToElectrify Inc. is a home based small business established in 2012. Operating from my household is the best way to reduce my expenses and reduce CO2 footprint as I don’t need to heat a commercial space. No employees, no more contractual paid staff since Ontario’s decision to scrap the carbon market, no paid salary, and my profits are reinvested in operations. My small business is legally incorporated since 2017 and has commercial insurance. The City of Ottawa confirmed that I did not need a permit to operate from my home. I built an official business area and storage room in my house. I have clients who buy at my location. I usually deliver all over eastern Ontario.

Here is an update since I published the following articles TimeToElectrify Inc., dealerships and Tesla can’t offer Canada government’s 25% rebate on level 2 charging stations in Ontario and Impossible to find a charging station in Ontario with the federal’s 25% rebate.

To be approved in the Energy Savings Rebate program to provide the 25% rebate for Ontario EV owners, my small business had to sell other Energy Star products. Since my small business has helped close to a thousand EV owners in Ontario and everywhere in Canada, I decided to go through the process again. I added other Energy Star items to my online store such as a thermostat, a ceiling fan and an air purifier to qualify for the program. It takes 20 business days for civil servants to go through the process.

As a reminder, to be an eligible participant in the program, a business must be:

• a retail company
• incorporated in Canada
• have a brick and mortar presence in Ontario (in french it states ”a physical presence in Ontario)
• carry and intend to provide incentives for at least four of the eligible product categories

September 17 2019 – I received an email from the government stating that the funds were depleted but my application was still active. Good news !

Federal-governments-emaildepleted-funds

September 26 2019 – I received an email from Mr Serge Bijimine, Director General, Programs Directorate (serge.bijimine@canada.ca) stating that TimeToElectrify Inc. has been approved for 100% of the funds I requested until March 2021. All I needed was the signed contract. Exciting news !!

Federal-governments-letter-approving-TimeToElectrify-Inc.-as-a-participant.

September 30 2019 – I received another email. TimeToElectrify Inc. has been denied AGAIN. The reason : I operate my business from my home !!

Federal-governments-email-denying-TimeToElectrify-Inc.-as-a-participant.

My thoughts :

This denied participation in the federal program is devastating for TimeToElectrify Inc. and EV owners in Ontario. The funds reserved for my business and level 2 charging stations are now gone. Where ? I have no idea ! I can’t submit another application as the funds are depleted. Civil servants ARE NOT returning my emails.

The program runs until March 31 2021. My business will be hurt by this for another 18 months. 18 months that I will have to pay my accountant (to declare losses), business expenses, commercial insurance and lawyer’s expense.

The civil servants and the political staff who developed this program had no knowledge whatsoever of the electric vehicle market in Ontario. They created a program in which absolutely no dealerships or Tesla can participate as they don’t sell Energy Star products, no electrician can participate unless their business sells other Energy Star products, no home based business can participate. All these legal businesses CAN’T provide the 25% rebate for Ontario EV owners.

Nobody in eastern Ontario can see, touch, compare and purchase a level 2 charging station. Costco, BestBuy and HomeDepot do not carry them in their stores.

TimeToElectrify is working on a solution to become a supplier to other businesses who have been approved. Yes, I will have to tell my clients to buy from a ”brick and mortar” business who accept TimeToElectrify as a supplier. STUPIDITY at its best !

TimeToElectrify has always kept inventory. I am proud to say that I do help my EV owners clientele. I know that the big stores can’t help the way I do. Buying a level 2 residential EVSE (charging station) is never a one size fits all solution. Many factors have to be taken into consideration when buying a residential EVSE :

• indoors or outdoors installation ?
• electrical panel location ?
• 100 amp or 200 amp service ?
• hardwired or plug-in charging station ?
• will the household add another electric vehicle in the future ?
• does the home owner plans to add a pool, spa, apartment, another dryer ?
• condo building or house ?
• and much more…

Civil servants and the political staff who developed the program failed to implement this 25% rebate in Ontario because they had no idea what they were doing. They still don’t get it !

Ontario EV owners lose, again.